Paris - French actor Guillaume Depardieu, the son of the iconic movie star Gerard Depardieu, has died of pneumonia at age 37, French media reported on Monday.

Exposed to movie shooting by his father at infancy, Guillaume appeared in his first film, The Wonderful Crook, at age three.

His big breakthrough came in 1991, at the age of 20, in the critically acclaimed Tous les Matins du Monde (Young Marin Marais).

In 1995, he suffered a serious leg injury in a motorcycle accident, which eventually required 17 operations and led to his deciding to have the limb amputated in 2003 because of the incessant pain.

In 1996, Guillaume Depardieu won the Cesar - the French equivalent of the Oscar - for most promising young male actor for his performance in Les Apprentis (The Apprentices).

He received excellent international reviews for his performance in Jaques Rivette's 2007 film The Duchess of Langeais (also known as Don't Touch the Axe).

He leaves a seven-year old daughter.